How do you get The Last Airbender to be a bad movie?  Take the events of the first season of the show overall and remove all the heart, humor or wit.   When you have done that, then shorten it down to 2 hours so no one has any chance be on screen long enough for you to identify with them.   That is the recipe for the live action Last Airbender.  There are some high points.  The actor who plays Iroh does an excellent job as does Aasif Mandvi.  The fights are interesting to watch and the effects are really stunning.   I also sort of liked what little I saw of the guy playing Prince Zuko.  Again you don’t get enough time to see why he is interesting or cool.  You get told only in brief  exposition what happened to him and why he is the way he is.

I am firmly in the do not recommend category, on this movie.  I really wanted this to be better than expectation but it really it isn’t.  I didn’t hate it.   I didn’t walk out or anything.  It was not a Uwe Boll film or anything. I just didn’t care about anything in it. Nothing had any weight.   It was merely adequate at best.   The source material deserves better than merely adequate.

What I will recommend, is go watched the series again.  It is leaps and bounds better and you will not regret the time you spend watching it.

Do you like pulp action comics? I know I do. Two fisted heroes who use their wits, tough jaws and maybe a pair of .45s, to beat over the top bad guys is a recipe for a fun time. There are many superheroes that get to claim pulp roots. The Shadow, while he did not start in comics, is a pulp superhero. Batman is definitely a comic superhero with strong ties to the pulp tradition.

One of the longest running pulp action superheroes is the Phantom. He first appeared in 1936 in a King Features comic strip. Since then, he has become one of the better known comic strip characters.

The character in the comics was a purple clad guy running around in a skin tight body suit and simple mask. This even looked a little silly in the comics but still the look hasn’t really changed. He ran around with a matched set of .45 automatics which he used to fight crime and the evil band of pirates called the Singh Brotherhood. Got to love a name like that.

The Phantom apparently was the descendent of a long line of heroes named Phantom. The idea was it would be passed down from father to son for centuries so all his enemies believed it was the same guy. They even gave him the cool sounding tribal name of “Ghost Who Walks”. I am not real clear on what they were supposed to do if all a generation had was girls(hard to sell that as the same guy), but I digress.

In the 90′s someone thought it would be a good idea to make a movie of the Phantom. Why not? Someone was doing the Shadow after all. I will say I am probably one of the few people who really liked the movie of the Shadow. The Phantom movie stared Billy Zane as the Phantom.

I like Billy Zane. He is kind of quirky cool. Catherine Zeta Jones was in it as was Patrick McGoohan. There were good people in this movie. It had pulp action and pirates and mystic skulls. The film could have been good.

Could have, but it sadly was not. There are some nice bits in there, but on the whole it was terrible. The costume just looked dumb and there is no way around that. Sometimes costumes from comics don’t translate well, and sometimes they are just terrible.

The script was awful. The acting was just silly and bad. I have a love for this film as I do for some bad films who at least tried something cool.

So the story ends there. The Phantom stays a relic of the age when people got their comics from the funny papers and not online like we do now(Don’t email me. It is joke. I get that people read the comics in newspapers still).

Except the story is not over.

Syfy decided to take a shot at it. Syfy(which is still the dumbest name ever) network decided they would do a modern translation of the phantom. When I heard this I kind of cringed. It is SyFy. I mean yeah, they made Eureka, BSG, and Wharehouse 13. They also make Scare Tactics, Ghost Hunters, and a line of the worst movies possibly ever. These guys have successes buried in mountains of failures. Also the Phantom, general wisdom would say, is a hokey character to begin with.

So I watched it.

I watch most anything comic related. I am a sucker that way. If it appeared in in sequential art before it made it to the screen I will eventually see it.

The thing is, my expectations on this were way low. I am pleased to say then that it actually was far better than I expected. I will not get too far into the plot of the show. The plot was a little too convoluted for it’s own good.

The acting was all over the place. Some of the scenes were really badly written. It should not be any good at all, but it actually kind of was. There is a real heart to this redo. IT is self aware without being meta. The hero, Kit Walker, last of the line of Phantoms at first doesn’t know anything about it and when he does find out does not believe. He sees the costume and says there is no way he is wearing it. He eventually gets the still a little goofy looking but much more practical body armor.

The over the top villains are here, only with a more corporate feel. The good guy is the right mix of determined and unsure. The update from the more traditional older setting seems to work, mainly do to the fact that they don’t ignore the older version of the character. It is less like a reimagining and more an update. There are fun stunt bits, with our hero of course being skilled in Parkour.

All in all the 4 hour premier was a really solid origin story for a tv superhero show. Is it gr4eat television? No. There are a number of non starters in the show, but I enjoyed it. I forgot to critique it about half an hour in and just enjoy it. If the TV series is half as fun, I will be tuning in.

I am done rambling now.

Once Upon a Time in Vegas, chapter 31!

PENDANT PRODUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENTS:

Original art by Daniel Chon and Kristen Bays for Pendant Productions.

Once Upon a Time in Vegas, chapter 31 – “Hidden Messages”

Todd runs into Princess, the past haunts Robert and Abby and Jeff gets a spirited ultimatum!
“Once Upon a Time in Vegas” is a full-cast, fantasy maxi-series serial drama. Available for free download in .mp3 format, or as a Podcast!

Also available — a commentary track with the director and co-writers!

iTunes link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=262309363

Podcast feed:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/vegas-podcast.xml

Download link:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/vegas.php

Featuring the voice talents of:

David Ault as Jeff
Rene Christine Jones as Tessa
Ryan Pickens as Brock
Jeremiah McCoy as Robert
Marleigh Norton as Abby and Ati
Tom Stitzer as Lewis and Todd
Jessie Moore as Princess
Caleb Marshall as Soldier James
M Sieiro Garcia as voice 1
and Pete Milan as voice 2

Written by Alicia Laine Matheson and Rene Christine Jones
Based on an original work by Rene Christine Jones and Alicia Laine Matheson
Directed by Rene Christine Jones
Edited by Chris Brittain
Original music composed by Kevin McLeod
Cover art by Daniel Chon and Kristen Bays
Produced by Pendant Productions
Executive Producer Jeffrey Bridges

http://www.pendantaudio.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pendant
http://www.comicspace.com/d_man
Thanks for listening!

Long time no post.

Is this thing on?

So…. I have been laying low on posting here. A few reasons, but not the least of which is was laid off back at the end of April. I worked at a video game development company, on the game Fallen Earth among other things. There was a large number of us let go on that day and the less said about the details the better. I am glad of my time there and proud of my work.

So what now?

Now, I had to give up my apartment in Cary NC and move back to Tennessee. No one thing is to blame. I was sans job, so the income had reduced drastically and I had recent surgery that I am still paying for.

I am doing my voice acting still. I am in two productions as regular cast and recurring in another. I have a little more time these days so maybe I will try out for more roles.

I am blogging. I was asked to contribute over at http://temporaryhitpoints.com/ and my first post is this weeks article. It is a player advise focused blog for 4^th edition and it is shaping up nicely as a good weekly blog.

I am doing some writing of my own on some short stories I have been pouding out. Next week, I break out the novel writing and rewriting and more rewriting and contemplating sepuku and more rewriting. That will take a while.

I am trying to pick up some new skills. I am learning C++ or at least I am trying too. I have joined a gym. It is time to get back on that horse. I am moving like an old man and I am not that old.

Also I am looking for work. I have been working in the gaming industry for a while now. I like it. It is easily one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. I am focused on getting back in so I hunt. Resumes are being sent. Recruiters are being contacted.

All in all, life is…. a work in progress.

More to come.

Original art by Julie Lindsey for Pendant Productions.

Once Upon a Time in Vegas, chapter 30 – “Contact”

Teri reunites with Tessa and Chloe while Abby reflects and the frat boys ghost hunt!
“Once Upon a Time in Vegas” is a full-cast, fantasy maxi-series serial drama. Available for free download in .mp3 format, or as a Podcast!

Also available — a commentary track with the director and co-writers!

iTunes link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=262309363

Podcast feed:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/vegas-podcast.xml

Download link:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/vegas.php

Featuring the voice talents of:

Rene Christine Jones as Tessa
Susan Bridges as Terri
Jeffrey Bridges as Danny
David Ault as Jeff
Marleigh Norton as Abby and Ati
Tom Stitzer as Lewis
Bill Young as John
Jeremiah McCoy as Robert
Alicia Laine Matheson as Chloe
Perry Whittle as Soldier Ben
and Caleb Marshall as Soldier James

Written by Alicia Laine Matheson and Rene Christine Jones
Based on an original work by Rene Christine Jones and Alicia Laine Matheson
Directed by Rene Christine Jones
Edited by Chris Brittain
Original music composed by Kevin McLeod
Cover art by Julie Lindsey
Produced by Pendant Productions
Executive Producer Jeffrey Bridges

http://www.pendantaudio.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pendant
http://www.easily-distracted.net
Thanks for listening!

Lee was our nail. He put me and many of us on this road. We won our war, made our mark, and what a lovely kingdom we have. I am going to miss you buddy. Good luck with the California and the new job. We will carry on down the road and will meet up another time. There will be legends made, battles won and such tales will shared when the band gets together again.

See you when I see you.

Things happen in combat and I get that, but firing on a group who is not actively perusing combat, firing on people because they are trying to help the wounded, and kids getting hit in the exchange? These guys should have been court martialed. Things happen in combat, but that does not free you of responsibility for your behavior. The military should not have lied and said reporters and children getting caught in a clear exchange of fire. Not once did anybody return fire or even try and fire. This made me sick.

I have nothing but love for the guys serving over there. They were doing a hard job in a hard place but this….this is not the honorable behavior I expect from folks representing us over there.I want them to fight and protect themselves but I want them to be better than our enemies morally as well as militarily. This is not that and someone should be held to account for it.

So a while back I get message on Facebook.

“hey Jeremiah, can you sing?”

With that in mind, I present the musical episode of  Superman: The Last Son of Krypton.

Enjoy

Superman issue 63 and Supergirl issue 35!

PENDANT PRODUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENTS:

Original art by Jerry Gaylord for Pendant Productions

Superman: The Last Son of Krypton, Issue 63 – “Fifth Dimensional Rhapsody”

Mxy unleashes his mischief as the cast of Superman rock you!

Superman: The Last Son of Krypton is a serialized, full-cast audio adventure with one new episode every month! Available for free download in .mp3 format or as a Podcast.

Also available — a commentary track with the director, musical director and writer!

iTunes link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=202788270

Podcast feed:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/superman-podcast.xml

Download link:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/superman.php

PENDANT PRODUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENTS:

Original artwork by Manny Aguilera for Pendant Productions

Supergirl: Lost Daughter of Krypton, Issue 35 – “Close Calls”

The heroes hunt for clues while John delivers a load of pain to Kara!

Supergirl: Lost Daughter of Krypton is a serialized, full-cast audio adventure with one new episode every month! Available for free download in .mp3 format or as a Podcast.

Also available — a commentary track with the director and writer!

iTunes link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=256710457

Podcast feed:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/supergirl-podcast.xml

Download link:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/supergirl.php

“Superman: The Last Son of Krypton” features the voice talents of:

Ryan H Nelson as Superman
Susan Bridges as Lois Lane
Chip Joel as Mxyzptlk
Tom Stitzer as Perry White
M Sieiro Garcia as Bobby Havner
Adam Bell as John Henry Irons
Jessie Moore as Natasha Irons
Deborah Adams as Doctor Falkner
Kristen Bays as Siobhan McDougal
Bill Young as Doctor Anderson
Mike Winters as Riot
Jeremiah McCoy as Dan Turpin
Kristen Bays as Maggie Sawyer
Seth Adam Sher as Batman
and Marleigh Norton as Doctor Adanna

Musical Direction by Susan Bridges and Jeffrey Bridges

Superman Theme performed on electric guitar by Juan A. Romero and Angelo Romito

Written by Jeffrey Bridges
Directed by Jared Page
Cover art by Jerry Gaylord
Edited by M Sieiro Garcia
Continuity Editor Kristen Bays
Produced by Pendant Productions
Executive Producer Jeffrey Bridges
“Supergirl: Lost Daughter of Krypton” features the voice talents of:

Dragon X Blink as Supergirl
Jeffrey Bridges as Metallo
Chip Joel as Amateur
Kathryn Pryde as Scorch
Megan Pressley as Ayumi
M Sieiro Garcia as Miranda
and Jessie Moore as Natasha Irons

Written by Dragon X Blink
Directed by Teresa Keller
Cover art by Manny Aguilera
Edited by M Sieiro Garcia
Continuity Editor Kristen Bays
Produced by Pendant Productions
Executive Producer Jeffrey Bridges

http://www.pendantaudio.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pendant
http://thefranchize.deviantart.com
http://mannycartoon.deviantart.com

Thanks for listening!

Here is one of my favorite songs by her. it appears to have been recorded for television, I saw some live versions but this one had better sound quality.

Enjoy.

Wolfgang Bauer introduced the Open Design project a few years ago.   In that, people interested in the work on a particular gaming project could contribute money during the creation process.   They would get a copy of the work before other folks and get some input into the product.   In gaming this made a lot of sense.  People got the products they wanted and the writers got the money they needed during the process of creating it.

Enter Jess.   I am not sure if she is the first, but it is the first time I have heard of the concept being applied to fiction.   So Jess has the Shattered Glass Project. This is a project where in she is writing a story.  People can contribute during the writing process to help her out while she writes it.  Being a writer you often putting in a lot of work for payment later…maybe.  A lot of that is not even related to how good a writer you are.  Publishers, editors, marketing departments, and agents all  take a slice.  This leaves the author often on the poor side of the equation.  Rarely do people who are fans, pay the author directly for their work.   Patronage changes that and that is essentially what Jess is trying.   She wants to see if people are willing to do this.   I think it is a cool idea and I am telling folks about it.

What is the story of Shattered Glass about?   Well here is a quote from her site.

What is The Shattered Glass Project?

The Shattered Glass Project is many things. It’s an experiment. It’s a work of fiction. It’s a solution. It’s a piece of art. And it’s your chance to be directly involved in my work.

Why “Shattered Glass?”

Shattered Glass is the splintering of reality that happens when a person realizes that the world is not quite as they believed it to be. It is destruction, from which both damage and opportunity may arise. It speaks of magic mirrors and ice queens, of vandalized store windows and shattered windshields. It’s the fragile nature of everything precious, and the value both of protecting that which we hold dear and knowing when to move on to something else when what we love is no longer good for us.

Is this a Changeling story?

While Shattered Glass is an original work, and is not directly related to or set in the same world as Changeling: The Lost or the World of Darkness (both which are property of White Wolf Games), although it will be written with many of the same themes and inspirations in mind.

Admit it, that sounds cool doesn’t it?

go check out http://www.jesshartley.com/ and look at what she has going on.